2023 · GS Paper 1 · Q8 · 10 marks
Do you think marriage as a sacrament is losing its value in Modern India?
In short
Marriage as a sacrament in India is changing its meaning rather than losing its value, moving from an indissoluble duty to a consensual partnership that keeps sacred and family sanction. About 93% of marriages remain arranged, and the Supreme Court reaffirmed Hindu marriage as a samskara in 2024.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 274 words
Dissolubility
The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 allowed divorce, ending the idea of an unbreakable bond, and *Shilpa Sailesh* (2023) permitted dissolution on irretrievable breakdown under Article 142.
Choice over duty
Education and women's work make marriage a companionate partnership of individuals rather than a duty to lineage, and later marriage is common in cities.
Alternatives
*Indra Sarma* (2013) protected live-in relationships, which Uttarakhand's UCC (2024) now registers.
Commercialisation
Lavish weddings and dowry, with over 6,000 dowry deaths in 2022 (NCRB), turn ritual into transaction.
Family and ritual
The Lok Foundation-Oxford survey (2018) found about 93% of marriages arranged, with saptapadi and kanyadaan still widespread among Hindus.
Low divorce
Census 2011 put the divorced and separated together under one per cent of the married population.
Law and reform
Section 7 of the Act still demands ceremonies, and Ambedkarite and Arya Samaj weddings reform rites while keeping marriage sacred.
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2023 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.